12/26/2023 0 Comments Preschool proloquo books![]() How can a child learn to “sound out” words when he or she has difficulty making sounds?įortunately there are many ways to teach reading that don’t depend on a child using spoken language. ![]() Then the children learn how these sounds combine to form words.įor kids who use no or minimal spoken language, this obviously presents some difficulty. As you’ll probably recall from your own first grade experience, learning to read usually involves a big focus on phonics: Teachers have children enunciate the sounds of letters. One of the major challenges to teaching reading to minimally verbal kids is that traditional literacy instruction relies heavily on spoken language. They did so in various ways: matching words and sentences to pictures, typing words and/or following written text with a finger as an adult reads a book. I’ve worked with several minimally verbal and non-verbal kids who showed me that they could read. What I find especially amazing is that many of these children seem to figure out how to read on their own – because no one ever gave them direct literacy instruction. ![]() As a result, we really don’t know how many nonverbal or minimally verbal children with autism can read or have the ability to learn how to read.īut many parents and professionals can tell you of children who can read despite not using spoken language. Unfortunately we have little other research on reading ability – or literacy – among minimally verbal kids with autism. All the students showed increased story comprehension and engagement. Two years ago, I published the results of a small study on the effectiveness of a reading program adapted for minimally verbal 5 and 6 year olds. Many people wrongly assume that children who don’t speak can’t learn to read. “Any suggestions for teaching a nonverbal 8-year-old to read? He can form sentences using augmentative communication.” The hope is to guide the development of individualized therapy and educational programs that best address each child’s needs. DiStefano’s Autism Speak Meixner Fellowship in Translational Research involves identifying brain activity patterns that relate to language and literacy abilities in minimally verbal children with autism. This week’s “Got Questions?” response is by psychologist Charlotte DiStefano, an Autism Speaks Meixner Postdoctoral Fellow in Translational Science, at the University of California, Los Angeles.
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